depressio

Forms

dēpressiō f (genitive dēpressiōnis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from dēprimō “to press down” with the suffix -tiō, from dē- and premō “to press”.^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Vitruvius, whom he dates c. 84–c. 25 BC, and Gaffiot cites him for a sinking, lowering.^[4][5]

Semantic evolution

It meant the action of sinking down or lowering, as of foundations in Vitruvius, and Macrobius has dēpressiō nāsī “a flat nose”.^[2][5] Lewis & Short note it is not ante-Augustan and very rare.^[6]

In Medieval Latin it meant oppression.^[7] British Medieval Latin used it for depression, pressing down, pressure, and in astronomy.^[8] It gave English depression about 1400, first an astronomical term for the angular distance of a star below the horizon.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 84–c. 25 BC – Vitruvius uses it.^[4][5]
• 1st half of 5th century AD – Macrobius uses it of a flat nose.^[5][4]
• c. 1400 – English depression is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A sinking, lowering, depression.^[2]
2. (Medieval Latin) Oppression; pressure.^[7][8]

Related words

• dēprimō
• premō
• English depression

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b c d Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
8. ^ a b Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press